Pubdate: Sat, 15 Jan 2000 Source: Toronto Star (CN ON) Copyright: 2000, The Toronto Star Section: Page: A8 Contact: http://www.thestar.com/ Author: Jim Rankin and John Duncanson, Toronto Star Staff Reporters CONSTABLE FACES HASHISH CHARGE Drug cases involving officer left in jeopardy A Toronto police officer attached to a drug squad has been charged with possession of hashish for the purpose of trafficking, placing a number of major drug cases in jeopardy. Constable Mark Denton, who has been on the force for 18 1/2 years, was formally charged yesterday. He has been suspended with pay and is scheduled to appear in Newmarket court on Feb 11. The charge stems from an incident last Nov. 17 in York Region when police pulled over a vehicle on Woodbine Ave., north of Aurora Rd., on suspicions the driver was impaired. According to sources, the man driving the car identified himself as an off-duty Toronto police officer. Police say hashish was found in the vehicle. The man driving the car indicated the hashish had been seized as evidence, police say. While it was Ontario Provincial Police who stopped the vehicle, Denton's activities that night were investigated by officers from 14 Division in the city's downtown. In late November, senior Toronto police officers met with federal drug prosecution officials over the matter. After that meeting, case after case came to an abrupt end as crown attorneys cited possible disclosure issues and either asked for adjournments or stayed charges. Defence lawyers were left baffled as their clients, accused of serious drug offences, walked free. ``We were informed at the end of November that Mark Denton was under police investigation,'' Tom Beveridge, acting deputy section head of criminal prosecutions for the federal department of justice, said yesterday. At the time, the crowns could not reveal why the charges in cases involving Denton were being stayed. ``If there's an ongoing investigation, you know, there's investigative privilege that applies and we just sort of couldn't breach the privilege,'' Beveridge said. By law, the crown has a year from the date of staying charges to reinstate the cases. Denton's lawyer, Gary Clewley, said yesterday that his client maintains he is innocent. - --- MAP posted-by: Doc-Hawk